Sharpening device



Feb. 21, 1939. A. P. KOMOWY SHARPENING DEVICE Filed April 5, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 21', 1939.

A. P. KOMOW 2,1 7,8 6

SHARPENING DEVICE Filed April 5, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Feb. 21, 1939.

, A. P. KOMOW SHARPENING DEVICE Filed April 5, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 55 INV OR.

BY %cg m7 ATTORNEYS Fig 6 Feb. 21, 1939. KOMQW 2,147,846

SHARPENING DEVICE Filed April 5, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 lmlmluluu 44 b I aflfi Z c a;

Iig! 7 Feb. 21, 1939. A. P. KoMow I 2,147,846

SHARPENING DEVICE Filed April 5, 1938 ATTORNEYS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

My invention relates to a new and improvedsharpening device for cloth cutting machines.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a sharpening device for a cloth cutting machine of the straight-knife type, in which a straight knife is caused to reciprocate, usually in a vertical direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment for this purpose, which can be afiixed to a cloth cutting machine, preferably permanently, whereby, upon actuating a suitable control member, the sharpening device will automatically turn and also move vertically from an upper initial or inoperative position to" a lower operative position in which the grinders will contact with the knife, and said sharpening device will then be moved vertically to sharpen the knife. Said sharpening device will then automatically turn back to its original inoperative and normal position.

Numerous other objects of the invention will be stated in the following description and drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, it being understood that the above statement of the objects of my invention is intended generally to explain the same without limiting it in any manner.

- Fig. l is a front elevation showing the sharpening device a little below the top position thereof, and with the sharpening devices or grinding wheels contacting with the edge of the knife. Said position of the grinding wheels is. also illustrated in Fig. 9. The sharpening attachment is moved upwardly from the position illustrated in Fig. 1, to its top position, while it is turned from the angular position shown in Fig. 9 to the angular position shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. l. The full-line positions of the sharpening members and other parts indicate the positions which correspond to the position of said parts shown in Fig. 1, and the broken-line positions of said sharpening members and of the other parts indicate their bottom positions.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation, similar to Fig. 1, but showing the sharpening members at the bottom end of the knife.

Fig. 4 is a perspective diagrammatic view the sharpening attachment when it has been moved upwardly to its highest position.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective View showing, in addition to other parts, the presserfoot of the cutting machine, and showingthe presser-foot when it has been moved to its upper position.

Fig. 6 and Fig.7 are respectively sectional views on the lines 6-45 and l--l of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line B-8 of Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a sectional view ,on the line 9-9 of 5 Fig. 3, showing the grinders contacting with the knife.

Fig. 10 is a View similar to Fig. 9, showing the sharpening device after it has been turned around a vertical axis, away from the position shown in 10 Fig. 9. This corresponds to Fig. 4.

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, and showing how the control device is moved manually in order to start the actuation'of the sharpening device. .15

Referring to Fig. 1, the cloth cutting machine can be of any conventional construction. It has a base I anda standard 2, in which a knife 3 is mounted, .so that the knife can reciprocate. The mechanism for vertically reciprocating the knife 3 is not shown, as in itself it is old and well known. The motor for actuating the knife 3 is located in the usual casing 4, and the ma chine has the usual hand-hold 5. The presserfoot rod 6 is of the usual type, and it is mounted v slidingly in a slot which is provided in a guide "I, which projects from the casing 4. A clamping screw 3 is movable in a collar 9, which is mounted slidably upon the rod 6.

The point of screw 8 can be clamped against .30 rod 6. When the collar 9 abuts the top wall of guide E, the further descent of rod 6 is stopped.

The presser-foot I0 is suitably connected to the bottom of the rod 6.

The sharpening device or attachment com- 5 prises a pair of grinders H and I2, as shown in Fig. 4. These grinders II and I2 aremounted upon shafts I4 and H5. The shaft I4 is provided with a worm gear It. The shaft I5 is provided with a worm gear l1. These gears l6 and I1 mesh with oppositely threaded worms l8 and 19, which are provided on a shaft 20. The shaft 20 is driven by a suitable auxiliary electric motor or by other means. This electric motor (not shown) is located within a casing 2|. The electric motor for turning the shaft 20 may be but is preferably not the same motor which reciprocates the knife.

.The shaft M is mounted in a bearing 22, part of which is connected to the housing 2| by screws 2211. The shaft I5 is mounted in a bearing 23,

which is slidable upon the rod 24, which is connected to another part of the bearing 22. As shown in Fig. 6, bearing 22 consists of members No and 2213-, connected by screws 220. Member 221) may be integral with, or it may be connected to housing 2|. Bearing 23 consists of members 23m and 23b, connected by screws 230.

As shown in Fig. 6, said bearings 22 and 23 have bushings which serve as bearings for shaft 2|).

A compression spring 25, mounted upon rod 24, is located between the bearing members 22a and 23a. The member 23a is held in adjusted position upon the rod 24, by means of a nut 26. The outer end of the member 24 is externally threaded so as to cooperate with the nut 26. Spring 25 operates to push member 23a away from member 22a, until member 23a abuts the inner end of nut 26. The distance between bearings 22 and 23 can thus be adjusted.

As shown in Fig. 4, the housing 2| is horizontally slidable relative to a top casting 21, whose bottom surface is provided with a dove-tail groove. The top of the housing 2| is provided with a dove-tail lug which fits slidably in the groove of the casting 21. A clamping screw 28 holds the members 2| and 21 in suitable adjusted position. The housing 2| is also provided with a lug 29. A threaded rod 30 passes slidably through the untapped bore of the lug 29. The rod 30 is rigidly secured to the boss 3| of the casting 21. A nut 32 is mounted upon the rod 39. A compression spring 33 is located between the lug 29 and the boss 3|. This spring 33 urges the housing 2| to slide relative to casting 21, until lug 29 abuts nut 32.

By turning the nut 32, the housing 2| can be located in horizontal adjusted position relative to the casting 21. The clamping screw 28 is then turned to hold housing 2| in said adjustecl position. Said casting 21 includes a sleeve 34 which is provided with a cam-sleeve extension 36. This extension 36 has a wall which is curved and inclined to the vertical central axis of said extension 36.

A rod 35 is located within said cam-sleeve extension 36 and said rod 35 is connected to the cam-sleeve extension 36, so that rod 35 and extension 36 move vertically in unison, and they also turn in unison. The rod 35 passes through a suitable hub 38 which is provided in a bracket arm 31. Said hub 38 has the rod 35 keyed thereto, so that the bracket arm 31 and the rod 35 turn in unison around the longitudinal axis of the hub 38. Rod 35 is slidable vertically in hub 38. The keyway or slot 39 of the rod 35 is shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

The bracket-arm 31 is turnably assembled by means of its hub 38 and rod 35 with a bracket 40 which is fixed to the frame of the machine by means of screws 4|. Said bracket 40 has upper and lower bosses 42, which have bores which are aligned with the bore of the hub 38, so that the rod 35 extends through said bosses 42. A torsion spring 43 has the lower end thereof connected to the wall of the hub 38, and the upper end of said spring 43 is connected to a bushing 44 which has a knurled head 45. The shank of the bushing 44 fits snugly in the bore of the top boss 42. The head 45 of the bushing 44 can be held against turning relative to the upper boss 42 by means of a set-screw 46 or other suitable means. The torsion spring 43 urges the bracket-arm 31 and its associated parts to turn so that the grinding wheels I and 2 are brought into the operative position shown in Fig. 9 relative to the edge of the cutting knife.

Since rod 35 cannot turn relative to hub 38, said rod 35 serves as a pivot pin.

The casing 2|, together with the auxiliary motor located therein, and the rod 35, are moved upwardly in unison by drive means actuated by the auxiliary motor. As shown in Fig. 4, the shaft I4 is provided with a worm 41, which meshes with the worm wheel 49, which is mounted on a shaft to which a sprocket 49 is connected. As shown for example in Fig. l and Fig. 4, an endless chain 59 meshes with said sprocket 49'. Said chain 50 also meshes with an idler sprocket 5|, and with a sprocket 52 which is turnably connected by shaft 53 to the bracket-arm 31.

As previously stated, said bracket-arm 31 can be turned relative to the frame of the clothcutting machine. but it cannot be moved up or down relative to said frame.

As shown in Fig. 4, the shaft 53 of the sprocket 52 is provided with a disc 54 having four identical lugs 55 which are spaced apart by arcs of 90. The angular spacing between lugs 55 can be varied, and the number of lugs can be varied. Sprocket 52 and disc 54 turn in unison.

As shown in Fig. 1, the chain 55 depends from the sprockets 49' and 52, a box 55 being provided to receive the loose bottom part of said chain 50.

The idler 5| and the sprocket 49' are turnably mounted upon the same vertically movable bracket, said bracket being shown in Fig. 2.

Therefore, when the sprocket 49 is turned clockwise, referring to Fig. 4, and the sprocket 52 is held against turning, the casing 2| and its associated parts, such as the stones H and I2, will be raised.

The disc 54 is held against turning when one of its lugs 55 abuts a stop-arm 51 which is rigidly connected to the frame of the machine. The stop-arm 51 is provided with an extension 58 which is connected by means of a screw 59 to the frame of the machine.

When the casing 2| is raised to a predetermined height, the cam Wall of the cam-sleeve extension 36 cooperates with a fixed pin 65 which is suitably fixed to the bracket 46. Since the pin 66 is held stationary while the casing 2| is moved upwardly, the cam-sleeve 35 is turned in unison with the rod 35 and with the bracket-arm 31 and housing 2|, so as to cause the lug 55 which then abuts stop-arm 51, to turn from the position shown in Fig. 9 to the position shown in Fig. 10.

In Fig. 4, the housing 2| is shown at the end of its upward movement. Inthis position the lug 55 which then abuts the stop-arm 51 does not clear said stop-arm 51. However, the switchoperating arm 5|, which is fixed to the extension 62 of the bracket-arm 31, is then turned in unison with bracket-arm 31 from the position shown in Fig. 9 to the position shown in Fig. 10, which corresponds generally to Fig. 4. In the position shown in Fig. 10 the arm 6| inwardly presses the head 63 of a rod 64, so as to separate the two terminals of the switch 55, and thus break the circuit of the auxiliary motor.

The conventional parts of this switch 65 need not be described in detail, and this switch is conventionally illustrated in Figs. 9-11. It is mounted on housing 2|. When the switch is in the circuit opening position shown in Fig. -10 (for example), the sharpening device is in its top or initial position.

While the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 10, with the stop-arm 51 abutting one of the lugs 55, the operator can manually turn the bracket-arm 31 against the force of spring 43, by

pressing upon its extension 62, so that the respective lug 55 clearsthe stop-arm 51, as illustrated in Fig. 11. Torsionspring 43 normally maintains the sharpening members II and i2 in the position shown in Fig. 9, when pin 60 is spaced from the cam-wall of member 36.

The weight of the auxiliary motor then .causes the vertically movable parts of the attachment to descend to the position shown in Fig. 3. Likewise the torsion spring 43 operates to turn the rod 35 and the bracket-arm 31 so that the grinding stones II and I2 abut theedge of the knife, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 9.

While theknife is being sharpened, it is preferably maintained stationary.

The downward movement of the casing 2| may be quite rapid. As soon as the torsion spring 43 has turned the bracket-arm suliiciently away from the position shown in Fig. 10, the circuit of the auxiliary motor is closed, as shown in Fig. 9.

Therefore, the auxiliary motor can operate the grinding stones while the auxiliary motor is descending.

A dash-pot or like device (not shown) may be provided, so that the torsion spring 43 does not turn the parts too rapidly from the position shown in Fig. 10 to the position shown in Fig. 9, so that the grind stones II and I2 first contact with the knife at the bottom of the knife, as shown in Fig. 3 and in broken lines in Fig. 2.

As soon as the circuit of the auxiliary motor is closed, sprocket 49' is turned. However, the lugs 55 can not strike against stop-arm 51, until the device is turned counterclockwise, from the position shown in Fig. 11 to a position in which said arm 51 is located in the path of movement of lugs 55. This counterclockwise movement may be delayed manually, or by a dash-pot or the like, until casing 2| has completed its downward movement.

Hence switch 65 will not be closed until the casing 2| is in the bottom position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. This is preferred. Arm 5'! may be somewhat resilient.

The stop-screw 66 is provided for limiting the turning movement of the rod 35 and of the bracket-arm 31, when the sharpening members II and I2 are moved by spring 43 to the position shown in Fig. 9. This screw 66 passes through a tapped opening in a bearing extension of the bracket 40. The member 69 holds the screw 66 in its adjusted position. This conventional form of releasable detent is used throughout, whenever an adjusting screw is included in the apparatus.

As shown in Fig. 5, when the attachment is moved upwardly, member 23a abuts presser-foot l0, so as to raise rod 6 and the presser-foot Ill.

As shown in Fig. 5, the guide or frame member I is provided with a lateral bore which is provided with a detent 10. A spring H urges the detent 10 to move so as to release said detent from the rack-teeth of the rod 6. An eccentric i2 is provided at the end of a shaft 13, which is provided with a hand-hold 14. The shaft 13 extends through a bearing 15 which is connected to the frame of the machine. A torsion spring 13 actuates the shaft 13 so that its eccentric 12 will hold the detent 10 in locking position, so as to hold the rod 6 against vertical movement. The shaft 13 is provided with a collar having a lug 11. An arm I8, having a cam-portion 18b, is connected at its end-portion 18a by means of a setscrew 19 to the bracket-arm 31.

Hence, when the bracket-arm 37 is turned, the cam-arm 18b operates to actuate the lug 11 so as to move the eccentric 12 to the position .in which it permits the detent Hi to clear the rackteeth of the rod 6, under the force of spring H. Therefore, when the bracket-arm 31 is turned to the position shown in Fig. 11 and the attachment is moved toits bottom position, and the attachment is then turned to the angular position shown in Fig. 9 and said attachment is then moved upwardly, the upward movement of the attachment from its bottom position raises the rod 6 together with the presser-foot l0. As the attachment is moved upwardly close to its top position, the stationary pin 60 engages the cam surface of the cam sleeve 36 so that the bracketarm 31 is turned until the parts are turned to the position shown in Fig. 10, in which position the switch 65 of the auxiliary motor is held open.

Likewise, in this position, the cam-arm 18b clears the lug 11 so that the rod 6 is held locked in its upper position.

The shaft "i3 is then turned by means of the hand-hold 14, thus permitting the rod 6 to drop until its collar 9 abuts the top of the member 1.

Referring to Fig. 10, the torsion spring 43 tends to move the parts into the position shown in Fig. 9, but this is prevented by the pin 60 which abuts the notched bottom end of the cam wall of member 36.

The attachment cannot drop from its top position because one of the lugs 55 abuts the member 51, as shown in Fig. 10.

The rod 35 is provided with a head 35b and a cushioning spring 350. abuts the head 3517 when the attachment drops to its bottom position as illustrated in Fig. 3. r

While the invention is particularly useful as an attachment to a cloth cutting machine, it can be applied for various purposes where it is desired to sharpen the knife, or where a sequence of automatic movements of the type described herein may be useful for polishing or otherwise operating upon a stationary member. When the sharpening attachment is in its initial top inoperative position, the angular position of the arm 31 is shown in Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 3,

the member 35 has a notched or recessed position, and the fixed pin 60 then engages said recessed portion. The sprocket 52 is then held against turning, because the disc 54 is on the shaft 53 of sprocket 52, and one of the lugs 55 of the disc 54 then abuts the stop-arm 51. The chain 50 then meshes with the sprocket 49', and this cannot turn because the circuit of the auxiliary motor in housing 2| is then open, as shown in Fig. 10. Since the sprocket 49' is connected to the shaft 29 of the auxiliary motor to various intermediate parts, said sprocket 49' will not move relative to the chain 50, as long as the circuit of the auxiliary motor is open.

When it is desired to grind the knife 3, said knife 3 is moved to the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the circuit of the main motor in the casing 4 is then opened, so that the knife 3 is.

held stationary.

The operator then presses with one hand upon the extension 62 of the arm 31, so as to turn said arm 31 clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 10 to the position shown in Fig. 11. In said position the respective lug 55 clears the stop-arm 51, so that the sprocket 52 is free to turn. While one hand of the operator holds the arm 31 in the position shown in Fig. 11, the

operator can use his other hand to push downwardly upon the casing 2|, although this is not necessary. When the arm 31 is thus turned clockwise, the members 35 and 36 are turned in unison with said arm 31. The recessed por-- tion of the member 36 therefore clears the fixed pin 60 so that the casing 21 is free to descend, in unison with the members 36 and 35.

When the operator releases the arm 31, after it has been turned to the angular position shown in Fig. 11, the torsion spring 43 operates to turn the arm 31, towards the position shown in Fig. 9. This counterclockwise turning movement of the arm 31 is controlled by the cam surface of the member 36 and the pin 60. Likewise, this counterclockwise turning movement of the arm 31 can be controlled by means of a dash-pot, if desired, as previously stated. Therefore in the preferred embodiment, the grinding stones H and I2 have been moved to their bottom position, before said stones H and I2 contact with the edge of the knife.

When the circuit of the auxiliary motor is closed, the sprocket 49 actuates the chain 50, so as to turn the sprocket 52. However, when the parts are in the angular position shown in Fig. 9, the stop-arm 51 is in the path of movement of the lugs 55. Therefore the sprocket 52 will be held stationary, and the turning movement of the sprocket 49 will operate to raise the attachment, to the position shown in Fig. 1. The fixed pin 60 then contacts with the top of the cam-surface of the member 36, so that the further upward movement of the attachment causes the arm 3'! to turn from the position shown in Fig. 9 to the position shown in Fig. 10, thus opening the circuit of the auxiliary motor, and stopping the operation of the attachment.

For convenience, some of the claims include reference numerals but the inclusion of such reference numerals does not limit the invention to the details described herein as numerous changes and omissions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For convenience, the device is described and claimed with the knife in vertical position, but this can be varied without departing from the invention. The invention is not restricted to a machine having a straight knife.

The invention is also not limited to the use of grinders or the like which are actuated when the sharpening device is moved in a direction parallel to the edge of the knife.

In order to define the essential terms which are used in the claims, the sharpening device is ithe bracket-arm 31 and the parts which are connected thereto, save that members H and I2 are designated as sharpening means. The position of the sharpening device which is shown in Fig. 10' is its normal predetermined position. The shaft constitutes motor-driven means to raise the sharpening device, and pin 50 and camsleeve extension comprise cooperating means which hold the device against turning against the force of spring 43.

The claims also cover certain valuable subcombinations, as well as the complete combinations of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with a cutting machine having a frame and a movable knife mounted in said frame, a sharpening device, said sharpening device having sharpening means, said sharpening device being mounted in said frame so that said sharpening device is bodily movable to-and-fro relative to said frame in a direction substantially parallel to the edge of said knife and said sharpening device is also turnable relative to said frame so that its sharpening means can contact with said edge, and said sharpening means can be spaced from said edge, said sharpening means being spaced from said edge when the sharpening device is in predetermined normal position relative to said knife, motor-driven means operable to bodily actuate said sharpening device in a direction substantially parallel to said edge, a control switch for said motor-driven means, said device having an arm operable to hold said switch open when said device is in said normal position, spring means operable to turn said sharpening device away from said normal position until its sharpening means contact with said edge, said device and said frame having cooperating means operable to hold said device against the turning force of said spring when said device is in said normal position.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which said motor-driven means are operative to actuate said sharpening device only in one direction.

3. In combination with a cutting machine having a frame and a reciprocating knife, a sharpening device having sharpening means, said sharpening device being mounted in said frame so that said sharpening means are bodily movable to-and-fro relative to said frame in a direction parallel to the edge of said knife and said sharpt;

vice is in predetermined normal position relative to said edge, said device having a motor-driven shaft a first sprocket connected to the motor-driven shaft 28 and turned thereby, a second sprocket 52 turnably connected to said device, and endless chain meshed with said second sprocket 52 and having one run thereof in mesh with said first sprocket t9, the shaft of second sprocket 52 having a stop-wheel 5 3 connected thereto, said stop wheel 54 having spaced lugs 55, a stop-arm 59 connected to the frame and mounted to project into the path of the turning movement of said lugs when the device is in said normal position, a spring 63 operable to turn the device away from said normal position until the sharpening means of said device contact with the edge of the knife, said device and said frame having cooperating means 36 and iii? operable to hold the device in said normal position against the force of the spring 43, said motor-driven shaft 20 having a control-switch 65 connected to said device, said device having means operative to hold said switch 65 open when the device is in said normal positiomsaid device being turnable until the lugs 55 clear the stop-arm 5'1, said device being then free to move parallel to the edge of the knife.

4. A device according to claim 3 having a presser-foot l0 connected to a rod 6 which is mounted movably in the frame, movable latchmeans operable to hold said rod 6 against movement relative to the frame, said device having control means 781) operable to release said latchmeans when the device is turned away from said normal position, a part of said device abutting and moving said presser-foot when the device is actuated by said motor-driven means.

5. A cloth cutting machine having a frame and a knife mounted to reciprocate vertically relative to said frame in a stroke which has a top end and a lower end, a sharpening device having sharpening-means, said sharpening device being mounted on said frame so as to be bodily mo-vable relative to the frame to-and-fro in a direction parallel to the edge of the knife and said sharpening device being also turnable so that its sharpening-means either contact with the knife or are spaced therefrom, spring means operative to turn the sharpening device until its means contact with the knife, said device and said frame having cooperating means operable to hold the device against the force of the spring in a predetermined normal position in which said sharpening means are spaced laterally from the knife and spaced vertically from the lower end of the stroke of the knife, motor-driven means operable to raise the sharpening device While its sharpening-means are held in contact with the knife, a control switch for said motor-driven I means, said device having means to hold said switch open when the device is in said predetermined normal position.

6. A device according to claim 1 in which said cooperating means are located and shaped to turn said device so that its sharpening means are moved away from said edge shortly before the completion of the movement of said device to the level of said normal position.

7. A device according to claim 3 in which said cooperating means are located and shaped to turn said device so that its sharpening means are moved away from said knife shortly before the completion of the movement of said device to the level of said normal position.

' ALBERT P. KOMOW. 

